About the Saint Laurent Lou Camera Bag
Since its debut in 2017, the YSL Lou Camera bag has been a favorite of those seeking a luxurious, classic piece offering practicality without sacrificing style. Like the popular YSL Loulou handbag, the House also named this one after the longtime friend and muse of Yves Saint Laurent, Loulou de la Falaise.
Camera bags first came into fashion as a chic way to carry a personal handheld camera alongside other daily necessities. Their boxy silhouette is sturdy and sizable enough to protect your equipment—larger than a wallet on chain but smaller than a shoulder bag.
A camera bag's typical features include a zipper-top closure, crossbody strap, and a rectangular shape, frequently with rounded corners. Because Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) changed its name to Saint Laurent in 2012, you may see this bag called the “YSL Lou Camera bag” and “Saint Laurent Lou Camera bag.”
Saint Laurent Lou Camera Bag Design and Features
The YSL Lou Camera bag has a strong, boxy design that holds its shape despite daily use. With a classic, seasonless silhouette, this understated bag radiates sophistication. And with an expansive range of colors and materials, there’s a Lou bag to suit nearly everyone’s personal style preferences. All YSL Lou bags include the following features:
- Detachable tassel on a hinged clip
- Metal chain or adjustable leather crossbody strap
- Exposed zipper-top closure
- YSL interlaced monogram
Whether you’re carrying an actual camera (though the Lou Camera bag won’t fit your DSLR) or just need a place to put your lipstick, the Lou line offers a range of options. The YSL Lou handbags come in four variations in the following sizes (width x height x depth):
- Standard YSL Lou Camera Bag (sometimes called a YSL Medium Lou Camera Bag): 9” x 6.2” x 2.3”
- YSL Lou Baby Bag: 4.7” x 3.3” x 1.5”
- YSL Lou Mini Bag: 7.4” x 4.3” x 1.9”
- YSL Lou Belt Bag: 6.1” x 4.1” x 2.1”
Each version of the Lou handbag has slightly different storage features. The Standard YSL Lou Camera bag has a main compartment with one interior flat pocket. The Lou Mini bag and Lou Belt bag have three card slots, though the Mini includes an additional exterior slip pocket while the Belt bag has a flat inside pocket and an outside zippered pocket. The YSL Lou Baby bag has just one main compartment.
Lou bags come with either adjustable leather straps or a metal curb-chain one with a strap drop length between 19.5” and 24”. The YSL Lou Belt bag has a 35.5” adjustable buckle belt.
Saint Laurent Lou Camera Bag Materials and Craftsmanship
Crafted in Italy by expert artisans using the finest materials, YSL bags are known for their luxurious feel and meticulous design. The YSL Lou Camera bag was first released only in lambskin with an embossed YSL monogram on the bag’s front. Shortly after, Saint Laurent expanded the collection and added its signature matelassé overstitching (the most common Lou design) and other special edition variants.
In addition to lambskin, the House makes YSL Lou Camera bags from a range of materials like calfskin, patent leather, pony hair, velvet, canvas, raffia and more. As for colors, take your pick! There’s a Lou Camera bag for every color in the rainbow.
And the finishing on the materials is equally as varied, with options like printed leather, crocodile-embossed leather, suede, crocheting, embroidery and, of course, quilting. The metal monogram (except on some early Lou styles) and chain strap hardware on the line of YSL Lou bags comes in bronze, gold and silver tones and oxidized nickel and colored metal in shades that match the bag.
Saint Laurent Lou Camera Bag Prices and Collectibility
The practical, streamlined style of the YSL Lou Camera bag and others in this collection make it a classic piece you can wear season to season, year after year. And because Saint Laurent rates in the top five luxury designer brands with bags that hold their value, the Lou Camera bag is an excellent investment. Those seeking to add a pre-loved YSL Lou Camera bag to their burgeoning luxury bag collection can expect to pay, on average, more than $1,000 on the resale market.